In a distant and secondhand set of dimensions, in an astral plane that was never meant to fly, the curling starmists waver and part . . .

See . . .

Great A’Tuin . . . who bears the Weight of

Berilia, Tubal, Great T’Phon and Jerakeen, the four giant elephants upon whose broad and star-tanned shoulders the Disc of the world rests, garland by the long waterfall at its vast circumference and domed by the baby-blue vault of Heaven.*

Here upon the Discworld resides a plethora of denizens and citizens all striving to make it through another day.

Join us for the Pratchett Trials, Level 25 Pet Competition, on the evening of March 22nd** at 7:00pm and do battle with some iconic images from the Discworld.

With all the vim and vigor of the Silver Horde invading Dunmanifestin, prepare to go up against other pet loving (hopefully, Discworld loving) guildies for the glory! And the treasure of course.***

Prepare to bring your favorite of the following to the field of honor.****--That most villainous of felines: Greebo (Silver Tabby), --Granny Weatherwax’s Broomstick (Enchanted Broom) ((Don’t forget to run it up and down before the battle)) --The Most Dangerous of Travel Accessories, The Luggage (Creepy Crate), --Great A'Tuin or any of her children (any Turtle), --Your most powerful Swamp Dragon (Azure, Crimson, Dark, Emerald, Infinite, Nether, Nexus, Onyxian, or Scourged Whelpling, Lil’ T and Lil’ D or either Proto-Drake Whelp) --Gaspode and Wuffles (Perky Pug and Lucky Quillen Pup), --The Great and Ponderous Berilia, Tubal, Great T’Phon and Jerakeen (Peanuts) --That little scamp The Death of Rats (As played by the Fossilized Hatchling) ((Just imagine the hood and the scythe))--Granny Weatherwax’s unexpected pet, You (White Kitten), --The Very Wise and a Little Creepy Octavo (Lofty Libram)--The Dice Cup of the Gods (Ghostly Skull)--The God of Evolution’s Crowning Achievement (any Cockroach)--Dorfl and his stoic Golem compatriots (Voodoo Figurine)--A soldier of The Red Army (Tiny Harvester, Personal World Destroyer, Mini Thor, [pet]Lil’ XT[/pet] or [pet]Landro’s Lil’ XT[/pet], or [pet]Lil’ Smokey[/pet])--The Butterfly of Storms (Amber Moth or Yellow Moth )--Pointless Albatross (as played by Rustberg Gull, Sandy Petrel or Sea Gull)--The adorable and at home in himself Librarian (as played by Baby Ape or Bananas)--A member of the Nac Mac Feegles (as played by [pet]Father Winter’s Helper[/pet] or [pet]Winter’s Little Helper[/pet])--The Sheep that is NOT MY COW (any Sheep)--The Pig that is NOT MY COW (Mr. Wiggles – or any of the other pigs)--The Chicken that is NOT MY COW (any Chicken other than the mechanical one)--Peaches, Darktan, Hamnpork, Dangerous Bean, Donut Enter, Big Savings, Toxie or any of the other intelligent rats (any Rat)--Hot flames roared around him, thundering like fiercly burning gas. His skin should have beenblackening already, but against all reason the fire felt no more deadly than a hot desert wind. The air smelled of camphor and spices. . . .It leapt . . . a great bird-shape of pale flame . . . . ****** In other words: The Phoenix (Phoenix Hatchling)--The Strigiformes member of Ankh Morpork’s symbol (Crested Owl, Great Horned Owl, [pet]Hawk Owl[/pet], Snowy Owl)--The World’s Second Greatest Lover, Giamo Casanunda (as played by Clockwork Gnome or [pet]Clock’em[/pet]) ((Don’t forget to bring his stepladder.))--Lu-Tze, Sweeper of Monasteries, Grower of Bonsai Mountains and Agent of Time (as played byPandaren Monk)--The Yeti That Respawns At His Saved To Point (Stunted Yeti or Tranquil Mechanical Yeti)--A certain conniving Kangaroo (as played by either of the Hoplings)--Eric’s Parrot (Green Wing Macaw, Hyacinth Macaw, Parrot, Polly or Senegal)--The Eater of Socks (Pint-Sized Pink Pachyderm)--The fierce and forceful Hershebian Lawyer Beetle (any Beetle)--The Merry Ravens found on the gift wrapping of the stand in Hogfather or Quoth the Raven (Gilnean Raven or Crow)--Chefet, the Dog-Headed God of Metalwork (Anubisath Idol)

We will be following the same general guidelines as the February 9th competition. As the Ventinari Family Motto says: “Si non confectus, non reficiat.” (“If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”) This time, though, with only one theme, and an anticipation of easier organization.

All competitors will battle each other. Points will be awarded for winning. Person with the highest number of points, places first, and so on. A bonus point will be reward at the beginning of the competition if you come dressed as any character from the Discworld Series (great licence will be given and basically if you make an effort, you get the point).

Please have a level ten character to join in the raid. General location will be the Counterweight Continent (otherwise known as Pandaria); specific location TBA, but most likely in the Vale of Eternal Blossoms on the plains near the Shrine of Two Moons or on top of the great wall somewhere.

50 gold******* entry fee required. You may send it early or bring it on that day. Signing up in the thread is beneficial as it gives the organizes a feel for how many might be present.

Until we can hire Leonard of Quirm to devise an Observing Pet Battles Fought By Other People device, please screenshot anything that does not seem correct to you so that we may, in our best Patrician impersonation, resolve the issue speedily or refer the offender to the scorpion pit. Please, do not let me detain you.

*Taken from The Color of Magic by Terry Pratchett, with a little bit of paraphrasing.**So far for our themed competitions (and I’m counting the level four competition as a “theme”) we’ve done battle on Sunday afternoon and Saturday evening. This time, I thought we’d try Friday.***Loving Discworld is not a requirement for joining in.****While a good case could be made for quite a few of the minipets to be included in this list, I tried to limit the choices***** to the iconic images or characters. I stretched a little in a few cases to provide an adequate number of pets to be battled with and because some iconic images (can we say “Archchancellor’s Hat) are not available. There 39 books and there is nearly one minipet per book.*****Choices: While it’s fun to wade into battle with whatever pets you want, there’ something to be said for being limited, learning the strengths and weaknesses of the particular pets involved and developing appropriate strategy.******From Carpe Jugulum by Terry Pratchett*******A note about the entry fee: It goes right into the winner’s pot to be split between the winners on the following formula: Third Place x gold; Second Place 2x gold; and First Place 3x gold.

A Note about the Date: I realize this is less than a week after the March Maddness Competition and I certainly don’t want to step on any toes. However, I have several days off that week and it will work well to host the competition when I’m not running from or to work. Also, as a fellow guildie said to me, “The more, the merrier.”

Last edited by Thralla on February 17th, 2013, 5:27 pm, edited 1 time in total.

For the Pratchett Trials, how could there not be more? A Look A Like Contest.

The day/evening of the competition, please post in this thread a picture of yourself, a family member, a family pet, or heck, even a statue in the garden, dressed up as your favorite character from the Discworld. (Please, make the pictures appropriate for small children – and not Ankh Morporkian small children who are accustomed to life on the street.) Accompany the picture with your favorite quote from any of the books.

Never read a Discworld book? No worries, Mate. There’s plenty of time. Pick up the shortest book and start reading (The Color of Magic isn’t very long and it is the first book, a great place to start). The books practically read themselves to you.

Best news of all, unable to attend the pet competition time? You don't have to participate in the pet battle to participate in this contest. Everyone who participates will be entered into a random drawing for your very own Sand Scarab.

Weems crept very cautiously through the scrubby, mistladen trees. The pale damp air muffled all sounds, but he was certain that there had been nothing to hear for the past ten minutes. He turned around very slowly, and then allowed himself the luxury of a long, heartfelt sigh. He stepped back into the cover of the bushes.

Something nudged the back of his knees, very gently. Something angular.

He looked down. There seemed to be more feet down there than there ought to be.

Thralla wrote:But Wait; There’s More!!!Never read a Discworld book? No worries, Mate. There’s plenty of time. Pick up the shortest book and start reading (The Color of Magic isn’t very long and it is the first book, a great place to start). The books practically read themselves to you.

I strongly disagree with recommending Color of Magic as the first Pratchett novel to read. It was published thirty years ago and he’s matured tremendously as a writer since then. The main character, Rincewind, is one-dimensional and uninteresting compared with numerous later characters like Susan Sto-Helit, Tiffany Aching, or, for that matter, Rincewind himself as portrayed in The Last Continent. The book also ends in a cliffhanger and the plot isn’t resolved until the end of the second, also comparatively weak, The Light Fantastic. The books just wittily riff on fantasy novel tropes and never engage real-world themes as is characteristic of the later novels. The Discworld books are not a unified linear series and readers won’t be left in the dark if they jump around. I think the first really good Discworld novel is Pyramids and the first great one is Hogfather.

A wonderful way to take a first look at Discworld is to find a novel that addresses a personal interest of yours. There are dozens: Australia, China, ancient Egypt, the ur-myths from which we derive holidays, the law in civil society, Hollywood, banking, newspapers, European football and football fandom, developing telecommunications, conservative versus liberal politics, fundamentalist versus progressive theology, feminism, werewolves/ vampires/ dragons in literature, war and how to not have one, evolutionary biology, mail, and rock and roll. If anyone’s interested in recommendations based on the above or curious if Pratchett has addressed any other real-world themes of interest to him or her, I’d be happy to oblige.

@Skyquake: You make some excellent points (although Hogfather is one of my least favorite books = ] ). I suggested The Color of Magic simply because it is one of the shortest books, in case someone was interested but didn't have much time. I think the thing I love about Pratchett is that he has provided such a wide and wonderful world that it speaks to a very wide audience. There's some deep thinking kind of stuff and fluffy stuff and in the middle stuff too. Usually when he has you laughing is when he grabs you by the throat. = D So if you don't like one book, read a different; or, give the book you didn't like some time and go back and reread - you see it differently the second time around.

And on to the real reason I showed up in the forums tonight: Trivia time! Taken from "The Wyrdest Link".

1. What is the inevitable name of the longest uncurved street in Discworld's greatest city?

2. Which dwarf highwayman climbed a small stepladder in order to kick the coachman in the middle of the road?

Thralla wrote:@Skyquake: You make some excellent points (although Hogfather is one of my least favorite books = ] ). I suggested The Color of Magic simply because it is one of the shortest books, in case someone was interested but didn't have much time. I think the thing I love about Pratchett is that he has provided such a wide and wonderful world that it speaks to a very wide audience. There's some deep thinking kind of stuff and fluffy stuff and in the middle stuff too. Usually when he has you laughing is when he grabs you by the throat. = D So if you don't like one book, read a different; or, give the book you didn't like some time and go back and reread - you see it differently the second time around.

Yes, he's remarkable. I think he's the finest humorist since Wodehouse. His ability to weave that humor into novels which also explore some very profound ideas is, in my experience, unique. The later Lieutenant Commander Vimes novels can sort of be described as, "Raymond Chandler, except rib-splittingly hilarious." That's not the sort of comparison that comes up every day. I think he's our Arthur Conan Doyle. I doubt he'll be taught in universities... but people who teach in universities will read him, write about him, form clubs dedicated to him, etc. for generations.

Thralla wrote:And on to the real reason I showed up in the forums tonight: Trivia time! Taken from "The Wyrdest Link".

1. What is the inevitable name of the longest uncurved street in Discworld's greatest city?

2. Which dwarf highwayman climbed a small stepladder in order to kick the coachman in the middle of the road?

I'll not cheat. Is number one Short Street? Number two is the inimitable Casanunda (get it? Casan-under, a short Casanova- Casan-over)!

Aingealwroth wrote::oops: I have enough right pets of the right levels (Infinte Whelpling, Black Lamb, CLockwork Gnome) that I could fight, but I am no where near the gold requirement... and barely the level one.

I guess I will try to catch the next one?

Props on the idea, either way.

The gold requirement is flexible, I don't mind sponsoring a few folks that are new to the server, but the level one is kinda necessary as you can't join a raid until you are 10, and it makes it *much* harder to run if people aren't in raid.